Lady Gaga has 40 million followers on Twitter and 60 million fans on Facebook, and longtime manager Troy Carter has often been credited as the architect of her social brand.

After six years, they’ve split over “creative differences,” according multiple media reports, just days before the singer is scheduled to release her new album “ARTPOP.”

The singer rose to prominence with her August 2008 debut “The Fame,” and Carter has been there from the start, steering her through everything from record-breaking videos to bizarre red-carpet moments to dresses and shoes made of raw meat. She’s sold more than 20 million albums worldwide during that time.

Carter is known as the mastermind behind her enormous social-media presence following “The Fame.” He said in an interview that she handled 95% of the creative decisions while he handled 95% of the business decisions.

“She was very specific about her vision, all of the music was there, and all she needed was someone to help her translate it to the rest of the world, which is where I came in,” Carter said in an interview earlier this year, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Carter has been establishing himself outside the music industry by speaking at tech conferences like TechCrunch Disrupt and investing in Uber, Spotify and Dropbox.

His latest investments include music-playlist app Songza, celebrity fund-raising app Prizeo and viral marketing service Virool, according to a report in TechCrunch.

Reports of the split come as Carter is attempting to raise $75 million to $100 million for a new fund, AF Square, to help finance startups. He also runs an agency that represents John Legend and rapper K’Naan and has recently signed a joint venture with Capitol Music Group.

Story Conversation

About The Margin Blog

The Margin is MarketWatch’s blog that keeps you up to date on the latest and most interesting news outside the world of business. From global and national events to sports and entertainment coverage, The Margin offers a unique MarketWatch perspective on the topics of the day. Led by writer Shawn Langlois, slanglois@marketwatch.com, and editor Steve Kerch, skerch@marketwatch.com, our team has a broad mandate to alert you to the stories everyone is talking about so you won’t miss a beat when the conversation turns social after the bell.